Cycling in Marin: Local riders closing the gap with European cyclists

WHEN THE Tour of California finished in Santa Rosa on Sunday there were some big names familiar to cycling fans — Tour de France contenders and champion sprinters. But, those who were paying attention also got to see some new names, some local names, and some smaller teams over the eight-day stage race. It was these riders who got the biggest cheers where I watched on the side of Mt. Diablo on Saturday and above Muir Beach on Sunday.

Napa's Lucas Euser was 18th overall at the end of the Tour of California and Berkeley-based Nate English, who used to ride for Marin's Zteam before it was Echelon Gran Fondo, was 14th. Both ride for smaller, domestic-level squads. In a sport where a team's designation depends on the size of its budget, it's rare to see U.S. domestic teams capable of competing with the bigger European squads. Yet, this year, the smaller teams did just that.

English's team, 5-Hour Energy/Kenda, had a rider place seventh. Euser's United Healthcare team had riders in ninth and 12th. And the comparably-sized Jamis-Hagens Berman team, also known in the local racing scene, managed a third place and earned a spot on the podium. The Bontrager team took the best young rider jersey with a gutsy performance from 21-year-old Texan Lawson Craddock.

These performances were unexpected not because the riders aren't talented. But, usually, it's too big a gap between the well-funded and the less well-funded squads for talent to overcome.

Everyone on the sidelines this week had different theories for why that gap was closing. In part, the best riders in the world aren't in peak form for the Tour of California or they're currently racing the Giro d'Italia. Those in California are hoping to be at their prime in July in France. 2010 Tour de France winner Andy Schleck was sipping a can of Coke, far from the front, when he passed us on Mt. Diablo. Presumably, he'll put the Coke down for the climbs in France.

In part, there is a changing of the guard happening in U.S. cycling. Many of the older riders, who were household names, went into forced retirement last year after all the information came out about them doping. That also caused a consolidating of the American peloton, as sponsors pulled out and small U.S. teams merged to form larger and more talented U.S. teams. Those new, slightly-larger squads were the ones entered in the race this week.

But, there was also this theory: Doping regiments have become harder to sustain with new information, testing, and awareness. With less doping, the playing field becomes more level.

My husband rides as a Category 1 for the Mike's Bikes team, an elite amateur squad. Most weekends, he competes in places you've never heard of, for tiny prize purses. Everyone in those races is there for the love of the sport. A handful of the best riders in these local races went on to be part of the smallest teams at the Tour of California. That overlap allowed us to cheer on friends and acquaintances and people we've seen racing for years. It also gave us some perspective.

I don't know if there was doping in this year's Tour of California. It seems unlikely that there would be none, though I'm hopeful. But, having seen some of the riders come up over the years from when they were in Category 5, the lowest category, I'm optimistic that the field is leveling.

It can be easy to lose perspective, sometimes, particularly where we live. There are so many amazing athletes in Marin and in the Bay Area that we begin to believe it must not be hard. Santa Rosa resident Levi Leipheimer, regardless of his doping, was one of the best cyclists in the world when he competed. It became normal to watch him win.

The Santa Rosa-based BMC team took the win and fourth place at the Tour of California this week and will again be a contender at the Tour de France. The Bissell team, also based in Santa Rosa, won the King of the Mountain jersey this week and the Most Courageous jersey.

Alison Tetrick, who lives in Mill Valley, took sixth in the women's time trial event in San Jose on Friday. Fairfax resident Taylor Wiles was ninth. Because Marinites are used to seeing the two riding around the county, they seem normal — not like some of the best female riders in the country. All of this makes us think it's easy to be that good. It's not easy.

(Tetrick also noted on twitter that it'd be amazing to have an actual full eight-day women's Tour of California race next year. Let's hope!)

Standing above Muir Beach, waiting for the riders to come through on Sunday, it was a gorgeous day. For the dozens of residents lining the highway, though, that view is a regular part of life. But, reports said that some of the cyclists whipped out their phones as they raced across the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge to take photos. Nothing about it was ordinary.